The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1887-06-20
MRS. e. d. E. N. soUrHwoRTH.
The Woman Who Has Written q Novel TO
Every Year of Her Life.

The Woman Who Has Written q Novel for
Every Year of Her Life.
Washington Letter.
Mrs. Southworths the novelist. who has spent
the past three years with her son at Yonkers N
Y, is again at her Prospect Cottage home in
Georgetown. She does not look her sixty eight
years. and would not be suspected of writing
many novels-one for every year of ner life.
This Is nevertheless true, and the last, to be fin
ished soon, completes the number of sixty-eight.
all written IN forty years. the first appearing in
the old National Era, of Washington, in 1S47.
This was the first of several short stories,
and was 1.-THE Irish Refugee" Less than year
after she wrote "Retribnton," beginning it
story for number of the Era. and with
idea of making a novel of it: but after getting
started, she was unable to complete it in one,
two or three numbers. and she wrote from week
to week. until "Retributionn ran through the
year. and was long novel. This and the two
following rovels were all written out of school
hours as 1t was not until the pu olicatlon of the
third that she gave up her place as teacher in
one of the schools in South Washington, then
called the Island" To add to her salary for the
support of herself and two children. she began
story writing. receiving only 81 column. In
the next year. however. ''Retribution" made
her successful novelist. Mrs. Southworth
is said to be the first writer in this country to
publish newspaper serial novel in book FORM
Era, was brought out in book by the Harpers
in the following year. 1849. 1t is not generally
known that Mrs. Southworth's novels are pub
lished In book form In England and Canada. but
not in this country. She has written exclusively
for the New York Ledger all of her later novels,
and, with one exception, the Ledger owns the
copyright of each story published. This excep-
ton is "Ishmael," with the sequel 'Self-raised."
and considered by Mrs Southworth her best
work. Her desire that this story should be
within the reach of young men as an incentive
and encouragement by its moral influence led
her to withhold the copyright and put it in book
form. 1t has been twice published in the Ledg-
er, whereas the Hidden Hand" by means
fine. in the authors estimation, but more dra-
matte, has appeared three times in that paper
Mrs Southworth wishes to be quite herself,
and she was by no means pleased to read a de-
scription not long ago in which she was "a tall,
thin woman in deep black" On the contrary,
she is of medium figure. by no means thin, but
well rounded. and seldom wears black OF any
often in ombned pinks and grays. Her
face IS bright in it's smile, her voice low and
pleasant, and her manner full of gentle cor
diality. She is an interesting talker, and her
conversation is as fascinating as her stories
She has always been rapid writer,
correcting her own proof. and before finish
ing one story has the nucleus Of another
In her mind She spent three years in England
writing and sending the original manuscript
to the Ledger and giving the copy to her Eng
lish publisher. Her old homo Prospect Cot
tage," in Georgetown, ia the one she is most
fond of. 1t is perched on the bluffs overlooking
the Potomac. with most picturesque views up and
down the river, and the Virginia hills just op-
poste The cottage is a small, brown house,
half lost in trees one side, but a piazza opens
to the river on the other. and here is Mrs. South
worths own room. 1t is never disturbed IN her
absence, the cottage in all else being the home of
her sisters family Her son and daughter, long
ago married and settled in Yonkers. try to keep
her with them, but homesickness for the old place
brings her back to the cottage. Mrs. Southworth
herself says old people like old trees whose
the young trees that thrive when taken up and
planted elsewhere.